Welcome.

The 18 Somethings Project is a writing adventure to unleash your creativity.

Generate new work. Get creative support. Make inspired progress.

Creativity thrives within a container, especially a flexible one. For 18 days, you’ll write 10 minutes per day on a prompt (we’ll use imagery, sound, text) you’ll receive each morning. In the email, you’ll also find a brief missive on the creative process.

We’re back! We will be running the Cocoon Edition starting Monday, December 1, 2025. Sign-ups are now open.

Want to stay in the loop for future editions? Sign up for our mailing list here.

In 10 minutes a day, over the course of months or years, a person can accomplish a lot. 10 minutes a day can help overcome resistance and (re)build a writing muscle. 

Who is this for?

You do not have to already be or call yourself a writer to participate in this (though writers are definitely welcome)! We’ve seen people use the space to explore their creative process, make huge progress on novels and memoirs, start a new essay or series of poems, or find the time to journal consistently. The experience is what you make of it. Our goal is to provide encouragement, structure, and support for you to be writing consistently.

Some background

We (Caroline & Janet) have been running the 18 Somethings Project, a generative writing experience, since June 2013, when we started it in honor of our Gemini birthdays. Since then, we’ve coordinated a dozen editions of the project with 500+ participants around the world. 

Starting in 2020 we began sending not only daily prompts but also daily accompanying letters on the creative process. We love hearing stories from participants, of dads writing alongside their teenage sons, people finishing or starting novels, friends staying in touch across long distances, and new projects sprouting. Since 2020 when we began paying ourselves for our work on this project, we’ve also been able to donate a portion of the project’s proceeds to organizations including the Farmworker’s COVID Relief Fund (2020), NDN Collective (2021), Yellowhammer Fund (2023), and RAICES (2024).

Staying in touch

For questions related to this edition, please email 18somethings [at] gmail.com.

If you would like to hear about upcoming editions, make sure you’re on our email newsletter — you can sign up here (now hosted on Substack, not Tiny Letter).

We only use this email list for announcements and reminders about new editions — no spam, we promise. If you’re not sure if you’re on our email list, just email 18somethings [at] gmail.com and we’ll let ya know.

FAQs

Can I invite friends? Absolutely. Please feel free to forward this note, or direct them to our website where they can learn more. You’re also welcome to recruit a friend to be your accountability partner and share your writings with each other as you go — just make sure they (and you) fill out the Google form to be officially signed up and receive the daily emails

Can I sign up midway through? Nope! Sign-ups will close Friday night, November 28 at 11:11pm PT. Managing the email list is a lot of work so we don’t take sign-ups midway through.

Will you offer another edition again? Now’s not a good time for me. Probably in 2026—stay tuned! We usually offer one edition per year, and the best way to know about it is by adding yourself to our Substack. We only email with new edition information.

When will you send the daily prompts? We will send them at 3am PT / 6am ET each morning. We hope that’s early enough for you! If not, you could also shift your process by one day so that you can do the previous day’s at whatever time you need.

I need to be offline for part of this edition. Should I still participate? If you want to! You’re welcome to join and do as much as you can or modify when you do it to work for you. It’s not school, this is not homework, and there is no grade. If this offering would be useful to you, we’d love to have you, and you can be as disciplined or loose with your participation as serves you. The only thing is that if you end up pairing with a partner, please let them know when you’ll be offline so they don’t think you dropped off.

“I started my first original novel as part of an 18 Somethings edition, typing my responses to the prompts while camping on the edge of the crater of Crater Lake. The novel, which became Crater Lake Caravan, touches on many of the themes the project brought out for me. I’ve had the pleasure of making friends and helping others make friends through 18 Somethings. Writing is such a solitary, lonely pursuit most of the time, so projects like this was build intentional and thoughtful communities are vital to all of our spiritual health.”

—Jessica Dickinson Goodman